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Related Link: VFL Match Programme And Results Season 1946 (PDF)
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Bill Hutchison stoops to collect the ball during Essendon's away match against Fitzroy in 1946. Ted Leehane (third from left) is attempting to provide the shepherd. |
During World War Two, Victoria was the only major football state in which ostensibly full scale league competition continued throughout, but to suggest that it was 'business as usual' during that time would be misleading. In 1942 and 1943, for example, Geelong had not participated in the competition, which was conducted along much abbreviated lines in both years. Perhaps even more significantly, the MCG had been closed to football between 1942 and 1945 owing to its being commandeered by the military authorities, with Melbourne being forced to shift to Punt Road for home games, and finals matches being conducted at either Princes Park or the Junction Oval. Apart from Geelong, the club which suffered most during the war years was undoubtedly Melbourne. A mere twelve months after comprehensively winning the 1941 flag the club was experiencing real difficulty in fielding a team each week, and there were doubts over whether it would be able to see out the 1942 season. In the end it did, but the adverse impact of war in terms of robbing the club of key personnel can readily be discerned by comparing its on-field success rate in the three year period between 1939 and 1941 (80.3%) with that from 1942 to 1944 (39.6%). |
The large scale resumption of former service personnel in 1946 raised the standard of league football considerably, and nowhere was this more apparent than at Melbourne which opened the season with a 20.17 (137) to 12.19 (91) thumping of Geelong. The side continued to perform solidly throughout a home and away series that was highlighted by its return 'home' to the MCG for the round 17 fixture against Hawthorn. Melbourne celebrated the event in style, coming from 9 points down at the last change to win handsomely by 37 points, 18.15 (123) to 13.8 (86). Two weeks later, on the eve of the finals, the sided was equally impressive in disposing of North Melbourne by 37 points at the same venue, meaning that it would advance to the major round as the only one of the four participating clubs with recent experience of playing at league headquarters.
The fact that this was no small advantage was emphasised in front of 61,277 spectators on 1st semi final day as the Redlegs surged home with 5 last quarter goals to 2 to overcome a Footscray challenge that, until the final change, had given every suggestion that it was going to be successful. Unused to playing on the vast expanse of the MCG, however, the westerners had simply run out of steam.
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The preliminary final produced an even more emphatic demonstration of the same principles, this time at the expense of a Collingwood side that had done virtually everything right up to three quarter time in running up a 13.12 (90) to 9.13 (67) advantage. During the last term, to invoke the cliché, the Redlegs simply ran the Magpies ragged, producing a mini-feature designed entirely to their own specifications that ultimately proved more decisive than the ' main event'. Melbourne added 7.4 to 1.4 in that final quarter to win 16.17 (113) to 14.16 (100), meaning that, on the face of it, they had seen off the challenge of the Magpies rather more easily than had flag favourites Essendon in the 2nd semi final. That apparent hiccup of the 2nd semi final aside - of which, more in due course - Essendon's flag favouritism was well warranted. After a 2 point opening round loss to Footscray, the Dons had settled into a stride that repeatedly elicited superlatives as well as, ultimately, the minor premiership (by a comfortable 8 point margin). Time and again, the side achieved victory on the strength of a single, devastating burst of brilliance that left the opposition defence in tatters. Significantly, one of the most noteworthy examples of this came in the round 3 clash with Melbourne at Windy Hill, which is further alluded to below. |
Dick Reynolds |
The premiership ladder on the eve of the finals graphically depicted the extent of the Bombers' superiority during the home and away series:
When Essendon had comfortably accounted for Collingwood in round 11 at Windy Hill their performance was said to have provided "further evidence that they are the most powerful combination in the League this season" (see footnote 1). This was the two sides' only meeting during the home and away rounds; when they next confronted one another it was at the MCG on 2nd semi final day, and prior to that match the almost universal expectation was that the Bombers would cruise to victory in similar fashion.
It is a cliché, of course, but finals football is a game apart, and the supposedly undermanned Magpies provided persuasive evidence of this in a pulsating match, played before a record 2nd semi final crowd of 73,370, which ended all square after the lead had changed hands four times during the final term. The Dons duly did what was expected of them in the following week's 2nd semi final, winning 16.22 (118) to 11.10 (76) - amazingly, an identical scoreline to the teams' round 3 clash - but the previous Saturday's encounter had revealed enough chinks in their armoury to give the Redlegs, as well as the neutrals, reasonable grounds for expecting a close grand final.
Essendon made two changes from the team which had beaten Collingwood in the 2nd semi final replay, with Harry Equid and Herb Tonkes coming in for Russell Hill and Jack Jones. Skipper Dick Reynolds, who had trained only once during the team's two week break owing to a poisoned ankle, was passed fit and lined up at half forward left. Melbourne's team was identical to that which had scored a fighting, come from behind victory over Collingwood in the previous weekend's preliminary final.
How The Teams Lined UpEssendon kicking DOWN Melbourne kicking UP |
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| ******** | ||||
| L.Gardiner | C.Ruddell | P.Bushby | ||
| E.O'Rourke | N.Smith | A.Dullard | ||
| H.Tonkes | W.Buttsworth | H.Lambert | ||
| J.Mitchell | F.Fanning | G.Bowman | ||
| G.Hassell | W.Pearson | A.Harper | ||
| R.Stabb | L.Dockett | G.Bickford | ||
| H.Equid | G.Lane | R.Reynolds (captain) | ||
| W.Lock | E.Cordner | C.McLean | ||
| R.McClure | W.Brittingham | K.Rawle | ||
| D.Cordner | J.McGrath | W.Deans | ||
| Followers | Rover | |||
| G.Abbott | J.Cassin | W.Hutchison | ||
| J.Mueller | S.Rule | A.Rodda | ||
| 19th Men | 20th Men | |||
| J.Jones | C.Lambert | |||
| F.Kennedy | A.Byfield | |||
| Essendon skipper Dick Reynolds won the toss, and chose to
kick with the aid of the breeze. However, after Stan Rule comprehensively
thumped the ball forward at the opening centre bounce it was Melbourne who were
first into attack, and with many of the Dons defenders standing apparently
flat-footed, they had the first goal of the game on the board within six seconds
of the start. Rule's thump was deftly fielded by a fast moving Len Dockett
whose typically probing kick found lanky forward Adrian Dullard in space close
to goal, and he made no mistake. Less than a minute later Fred Fanning,
who had surprised many observers by commencing the game on the ball rather than
in his customary key forward position, added a second goal for Melbourne with a
long punt kick after he had soared high to take a brilliant mark.
The Essendon backline was all at sea at this stage, and when 188cm, 88.5kg Jack Mueller swooped on the ball like a rover in the forward pocket and snapped truly it seemed as if a major upset was on the cards. The Bombers, to their credit, refused to panic, but their discomfiture was soon increased after two further forward forays by Melbourne yielded a behind (to Fanning) followed by a 4th six-pointer (to Alby Rodda). With almost ten minutes of the game having elapsed the Redlegs had eked out a 25 point advantage, with Essendon not only having failed to trouble the scorers, but having yet to construct a serious attacking move. |
George Bickford |
At last, from the ensuing centre bounce, Essendon managed to force the ball forward of centre, but an untidy sequence of play ended with the normally reliable Bill Hutchison kicking out of bounds in the forward pocket. Moments later, however, Bill Brittingham made amends by gathering the ball up smoothly and firing home from close range to register his 63rd goal of the season. Suddenly it was the Melbourne defenders who were on the back foot as the Bombers surged forward from the next centre bounce, with first Equid at centre half forward, and then Lane in the goal square, marking strongly before the latter sent the ball straight through the central uprights and deep into the crowd to register his side's second.
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Adrian Dullard |
With Fanning seemingly unbeatable in the ruck at this stage, however, Melbourne quickly reasserted their superiority thanks to goals from O'Rourke and Mueller, and by the midway point of the term things were looking somewhat dire for Essendon. Typically, and predictably, it was the Bombers' skipper 'King Dick' Reynolds who inspired his team's revival. First, he combined well with his fellow rover Bill Hutchison, playing what nowadays would be referred to as a "one-two", before running in to kick truly and reduce the margin to 20 points. Then, after Gordon Lane had narrowly missed from a sharp angle, Reynolds managed to intercept McGrath's kick-in and feed off to Hutchison once more, and the future dual Brownlow Medallist made no mistake with a long, lofty punt. With the deficit now reduced to just 13 points, the entire Essendon team appeared to lift, and after another five minutes of concerted pressure a behind to Equid, and two goals to Lane, had brought the sides level on the scoreboard, 6.2 (38) apiece. Lane's second goal, which came from a majestic long left foot drop kick, elicited a loud roar of excitement from the large crowd, who clearly sensed that the Bombers had now firmly put their early lethargy behind them, and it was 'game on'. A couple of minutes later, Melbourne provided a telling reminder of their credentials when Mueller kicked a fine goal, but Essendon swept straight into attack from the centre bounce and were soon back on even terms after an adroit snap from Reynolds. |
During the time-on period, the play became scrappy and congested as both sides tried desperately to gain the ascendancy. The only truly fluent passage of play in the closing moments came from Melbourne who, courtesy of Fanning, Rodda and Smith, managed to maneuver the ball close to goal, only for the last named to miss badly. Just before the bell, however, Gordon Abbott illegally interfered with Mueller right in front of the Melbourne goal, and the Redleg veteran converted easily.
After an astonishingly high scoring opening term, both teams had reason to feel pleased with themselves: Melbourne, for eking out a 7 point advantage while kicking against the breeze, and the Bombers for fighting back so superbly after being 25 points in arrears early on. Quarter Time: Melbourne 8.3 (51); Essendon 7.2 (44)
The resumption was delayed by several minutes while umpire Bill Bride allowed the Essendon trainers to attend to centreman, Bill Pearson, who had been heavily felled late in the previous quarter. When play eventually resumed, Dick Reynolds had taken Pearson's place in the centre.
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Jack Cassin |
The second term was noteworthy for a tightening up of both teams' defences, with goals becoming significantly harder to obtain as a result. Essendon's backline was the first to find itself under pressure as the Redlegs attacked frenetically, but with half back flanker Harold Lambert and full back Cec Ruddell in particular reading the ball magnificently they were unable to find a way through. In fact, it proved to be the Dons who scored first, thanks to Gordon Lane, who snapped a behind. Minutes later they improved on that as a crisply systematic sequence of play between Pearson, Equid and Hutchison culminated in the last named goaling easily to level the scores once more. Now it was Melbourne's turn to defend desperately, but somewhat ominously the Bombers appeared to be moving with greater precision and assurance, and a couple of minutes after Hutchison's goal a cool pass by Abbott to the fast-leading Lane elicited the maximum reward. For the first time in the game, Essendon was in the lead, and the pattern of the game seemed to indicate that it was going to take a mighty effort from the Redlegs to turn things around. Assisted by some generous umpiring from Bride, however, that is precisely what they managed to do, as twice within as many minutes Mueller was paid dubious frees close to goal, from which he registered 1.1 to put his side a point to the good. |
The black and reds' response was predictably forceful, but with Melbourne's key defenders 'Shane' McGrath and Ted Cordner in especially defiant mood the best they could muster was a succession of behinds. Still, with the time-on period well underway, this was enough to restore their lead, and although the Redlegs attacked determinedly towards the end of the term, they lacked system, and Essendon defenders like Wally Buttsworth and Harold Lambert seemed to be operating well within capacity to keep them at bay. A minute or so before the bell, however, Melbourne half forward Gordon Bowman ran onto a loose ball close to goal and had sufficient time and space to turn and snap truly, putting his side 3 points ahead at the long break. Half Time: Melbourne 10.4 (64); Essendon 9.7 (61)
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Essendon visibly upped the tempo at the start of the third term, and for the first time in the match many of the Melbourne players looked to be struggling to cope. Unfortunately for the Bombers, however, their kicking for goal was not on a par with their general field play, and five consecutive, comparatively easy shots yielded only minor scores. If Melbourne's supporters thought their team was going to be let off the hook, however, they were in for a severe shock. Six minutes into the quarter, McClure goaled, stretching Essendon's lead to 8 points, and when the Dons' next two attacking forays brought further goals to Equid, via a superb, towering drop kick, and Harper, it was clear that the game was fast slipping out of the Redlegs' grasp. |
Gordon Lane |
Clearly playing to instructions, the Essendon players were now kicking long at every opportunity in order to extract maximum benefit from their breeze advantage. It was reminiscent of the football the side had produced during the opening term of its round 3 thrashing of Melbourne, when it went into the first break 53 points to the good, having amassed 10.5 (65) to 2.1 (13). The fulcrum of Essendon's dominance on that occasion had been Gordon Lane, a strong marking, dynamic centre half forward who gloried in the nickname 'Whoppa', and so it proved again in the grand final. Initially opposed by Ted Cordner, Lane opened the third quarter in such irrepressible fashion that he soon found himself faced with a fresh opponent in the shape of Adrian Dullard, a hefty (193cm, 93.5kg), strong marking player who normally played as a ruckman. The move had little discernible effect, however, as Lane continued to provide an inexorable avenue to goal for the Dons, either outpacing his opponent on the ground, or outmarking him in the air with apparently nonchalant ease.
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Keith Rawle |
Nevertheless, it was the Redlegs who secured the next six-pointer, giving their supporters what would prove to be the last glimmer of hope for the match. It lasted scarcely a minute, as Essendon raced the ball straight into attack from the centre bounce, and Gordon Lane raised both flags with an astounding left foot running shot from the boundary. Next, Harry Equid hooked the ball over his shoulder directly into the goal square, where Keith Rawle gathered smartly and goaled. A minor score to Bill Brittingham shortly afterwards pushed the Bombers' lead out to 27 points, and the comparative silence of the crowd only served to heighten the sense of predeterminism and inevitability of it all. A rare venture forward by Melbourne elicited a behind, but this proved to be their last score of the quarter. The remaining ten minutes saw the Dons doing virtually as they liked to add 5 further majors courtesy of Reynolds, Cassin, Lane, Brittingham and McClure to conclude what Howard Hughes in 'The Essendon Gazette' called "an amazing orgy of scoring". Three Quarter Time: Essendon 20.15 (135); Melbourne 11.5 (71) |
Predictably, after their match-sealing exploits of the third quarter, the Essendon players took their foot of the accelerator in the final term and the match petered out almost tamely. The way in which Bill Brittingham playfully popped the ball over the line as he ran into an open goal to commence the last quarter scoring emphasised the universal feeling among players of both sides, that the match was as good as over. Just about the only matter of interest remaining was whether or not the Bombers would manage to rub further salt into the Redlegs' wounds by eclipsing their grand final record tally of 21.22 (148) established seven years earlier against Collingwood. Fittingly, it was the most damaging and effective player on view, Gordon Lane, who managed this with his seventh goal of the game early in the time-on period.
| Besides Lane, the Dons had been superbly
served by 'Bluey' McClure and Gordon Abbott, who had controlled the rucks since
quarter time, defenders Cec Ruddell, Perc Bushby, Harold Lambert and Wally
Buttsworth, rovers Bill Hutchison and Keith Rawle - the last named playing, in the
opinion of Howard Hughes, "his best game for the season", and lively
and dynamic half forward Harry Equid. Even Chris Lambert, who replaced the
injured Keith Rawle during the final term and lined up on a wing, managed a
profusion of effective kicks to emphasise just how deep the rich vein of talent
at Essendon ran. Meanwhile, in kicking 4 goals for the game, Bill
Brittingham overtook Collingwood's Des Fothergill to finish as the VFL's top
goal kicker for the year with 66 goals.
Melbourne's best included evergreen forward Jack Mueller, who posed a constant threat, particularly in the air, and posted 6 goals, diminutive but feisty rover Alby Rodda, resolute full back 'Shane' McGrath, and long kicking wingman George Bickford, who probably shaded his opponent Bert Harper on the day, and, unlike many of his team mates, kept trying hard until the end. Final Score: Essendon 22.18 (150); Melbourne 13.9 (87) |
Perc Bushby |
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Pts | |
| Essendon | 7.2 | 9.7 | 20.15 | 22.18 | 150 |
| Melbourne | 8.3 | 10.4 | 11.5 | 13.9 | 87 |
BEST - Essendon: Lane, Abbott, Ruddell, Lambert, Hutchison, McLure, Rawle Melbourne: Mueller, McGrath, Rodda, Bickford, Mitchell, Dullard
GOALS - Essendon: Lane 7; Brittingham 4; Hutchison, Reynolds 3; McClure 2; Cassin, Equid, Rawle Melbourne: Mueller 6; Dullard 3; Bowman, Fanning, O'Rourke, Rodda
ATTENDANCE: 73,743 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
"It was just like a shopping rush: even I was caught up in it and couldn't get out - there seemed to be red and black sweaters everywhere." (Bomber captain Dick Reynolds in a post-match interview, referring to his side's winning 3rd quarter burst of 11.8 to 1.1.)
Afterwards, Essendon skipper Dick Reynolds admitted to having been quite worried early in the match when Melbourne rattled on 4 unanswered goals besides - even more to the point - looking to be considerably hungrier, faster and better in the air than the Dons. The way his team recovered and went on to dominate the match provided him with the greatest thrill of his life, said Reynolds.
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An alternative view of the grand final.... |
With typical modesty, 'King Dick' refrained from mentioning his own contribution, but others in the Essendon camp were quick to apportion much of the credit for the side's revival to their skipper. According to trainer Charlie May, himself a former star player with the club, "If Dick Reynolds had not been fit to play, we would have been sunk". In saying this, May was alluding as much, if not more, to the psychological effects of the club captain's on-field presence as to the visible impact of his playing performance - which, by Reynolds' lofty standards, was scarcely exceptional. Hardly surprisingly, the Bombers' victory celebrations continued until the early hours of Sunday morning. After a formal dinner at the Hotel Australia the club's players and officials together with their wives and various friends adjourned to the club pavilion, where a dance was held. A few days later, the team embarked on a trip to Casterton, where a match was played against a local combined side bolstered by league players in the shape of Richmond's Jack Dyer and Bill Morris, Fitzroy's Alan Ruthven and Max Rippon of St Kilda. A crowd of some 5,000 spectators were treated to a virtual carbon copy of the grand final as, after an even first half, Essendon rattled on 7.11 to 0.2 in a decisive third quarter burst en route to a comfortable 63 point victory. |
As for Melbourne, egos and bodies no doubt badly bruised and battered by what had eventually turned into a somewhat hollow affair, recovery would be slow in arriving, but would ultimately be both emphatic and deliciously sweet tasting, coming, as it would, at the expense of 1946 nemesis Essendon. After failing to make the finals in 1947, the Redlegs would recover to reach the 1948 grand final, from which they would ultimately emerge with one of the most memorable triumphs in their history. Warm flag favourites Essendon, who had comfortably beaten Melbourne in the 2nd semi final, played ostensibly well enough on grand final day to repeat that success, but despite amassing 34 scoring shots to 19 had to rely on a last gasp goal line clearance from Cec Ruddell to hang onto a draw. In the replay, the Redlegs burst out of the blocks with 6 opening term goals to nil, and were never seriously threatened in winning by 39 points. Such are the sometimes capricious vagaries of the world's most entertaining and exhilarating sport.
On the morning - or, in many cases one imagines, the afternoon - of Sunday 6 October 1946, however, it was Essendon's players, supporters and officials who awoke immersed in the delectable haze of a premiership hangover.
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1. Claim made by Howard Hughes in 'The Essendon Gazette'. The match, which Essendon won 16.22 (118) to 11.10 (76) attracted a new ground record attendance of 32,222 spectators who paid £1,174. Return to Main Text
